In front of the towering gate of the Ministry of Justice, Hong Yingrong quietly witnessed the coffin of "Zhang Xianzhi" being solemnly carried into the inner hall.
She knew that the person resting among them was actually the loyal servant Zhang Rui. An inexplicable sadness surged in her heart and turned into a soft sigh.
Hong Yingrong then boarded a carriage, passed through the prosperity and bustle of the capital, and arrived at the vast avenue in the suburbs leading to the north. Her eyes were fixed on a seemingly inconspicuous carriage, which was her destination.
Xue Zhongfu and Jiang Lun were already waiting here, ready to say their final goodbyes to Zhang Xianzhi who was heading north.
Xue Zhongfu solemnly instructed, "Once you arrive at the Xue family's old house in Haiqu, the steward there, Xue Qiang, will make all the necessary arrangements for you. You can rest and recuperate there. Once the storm has passed, whether you want to travel to famous mountains and rivers or teach, it's up to you."
Zhang Xianzhi nodded gratefully. His eyes passed through the car window and fell on the porcelain jar carefully placed in the wooden box. That was the most important item on his trip. He would bury Liu Pinting's ashes in Haiqu as his deceased wife.
Jiang Lun and Xue Zhongfu felt sorry that Zhang Xianzhi could not continue to display his talents in the court, but they hid their own selfish motives.
In fact, Zhang Xianzhi's disappointment with His Majesty and the court was so deep that it was irreparable. Even if his status was restored, he would no longer have the intention of being loyal to the court.
Just then, Hong Yingrong's carriage slowly drove over and stopped by the side of the road.
As soon as she got off the car, she walked towards the crowd and came to Zhang Xianzhi to see him off.
"Long live my adoptive mother!" Zhang Xianzhi bowed respectfully. Although becoming an adopted son was just a temporary measure, he always had deep respect for the old lady.
"The journey is long, please take care of yourself." Hong Yingrong said with concern.
"Once the Ministry of Justice announces the result and the case of the Xianning County Lady has been concluded, I will send someone to inform you in a letter." She continued.
Zhang Xianzhi took a deep breath and said with emotion: "With Lord Qiao presiding over this case, I believe everything will come to light."
After saying this, he bowed deeply to everyone, turned around and embarked on his journey to the north.
…
On the other side, in the autopsy room of the Ministry of Justice, Qiao Sanhe had already changed into a white autopsy gown.
Because the autopsy task involved the complex pathology of colic, he specially invited a doctor from the Imperial Hospital to assist in the investigation.
As the heavy coffin slowly opened, a male corpse covered with white cloth was carefully lifted onto the autopsy table.
Medical officer Hong Zhengxuan's eyes fell on a corner of the body that was vaguely exposed under the white cloth. Even though the body was burned beyond recognition and everyone said it was Hanlin Zhang Xianzhi, he knew it was not him.
Although he was not clear about the intricacies behind this, Hong Zhengxuan realized that this was closely related to the real cause of death of his distant cousin Liu Pinting.
He decided to remain silent, not only not to reveal the secret, but also secretly resolved to do his best to help, hoping to solve the mystery behind it.
In the autopsy room, although the assistant beside Qiao Sanhe looked young, his technique was extremely skilled.
First, the surface of the body was carefully cleaned with vinegar and white wine to remove blood and other dirt in preparation for the subsequent inspection.
In order to prevent the stench of corpses and possible epidemics, garlic and ginger were mashed and mixed into vinegar, which was then dipped into cloth strips and distributed to him and Qiao Sanhe to cover their mouths and noses.
However, Hong Zhengxuan still felt something strange.
With his experience of studying medicine since childhood, he keenly realized that this thin assistant was actually a girl of fifteen or sixteen years old.
Although she was wearing men's clothes and had a cloth tied on her face, Hong Zhengxuan could still see the flaws from her figure and other details.
He secretly admired the girl's courage, scratched the tip of his nose lightly as if nothing had happened, pretended that everything was normal, and continued to observe every detail of the autopsy attentively.
Tweezers, silver needles, axes, scissors, hooks, these tools have been placed in an orderly manner next to the autopsy table.
After bowing their heads to express their condolences to the corpse, Qiao Sanhe and his assistant began their autopsy.
"The face suffered severe burns and the facial features are unrecognizable." Qiao Sanhe recorded in a deep voice.
"There were no obvious signs of trauma or fractures below the neck, including on the torso, back, and fingers."
The assistant carefully recorded them one by one.
"There were no external injuries on the thighs, calves, or feet."
Hong Zhengxuan stood quietly by the side, following Qiao Sanhe's every move with focused eyes.
He couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration in his heart.
Although the duties of a coroner are completely different from those of a doctor, and they are not dedicated to saving lives, the rigorous attitude and professionalism demonstrated by Qiao Sanhe undoubtedly impressed Hong Zhengxuan deeply.
"Prepare to check the internal organs." Qiao Sanhe said to his assistant in a calm and firm tone, and finally arrived at the most critical part of this autopsy.
Hong Zhengxuan took a step forward without hesitation. Facing the suspicion of colic, he did not show any fear.
Entrusted by Zhang Xianzhi, he had previously studied many classics of the Imperial Medical Bureau in depth and was well aware of the symptoms of the disease.
"Silver needle." Qiao Sanhe ordered in a deep voice.
The assistant quickly handed over the cleaned silver needle, and her long eyelashes fluttered gently like butterfly wings.
Hong Zhengxuan's heart moved slightly, and he couldn't help but think secretly: Is there no one left in the field of coroner in Da Zhou these days? Is this little girl needed to disguise herself as a man and take on this task?
Qiao Sanhe took the silver needle and carefully searched among the internal organs of the corpse.
Everyone waited with bated breath, watching the silver needles flash with a cold light. If the needles turned bluish-black, it was poisoned; if they returned to bright white after washing, the body was free of poison.
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